20 fun, creative ways to use ChatGPT when you're bored

Run experiments on a fictional city

One of essentially the most fascinating issues I’ve achieved with ChatGPT is create a digital city to conduct experiments on—and you’ll simply do that out your self! Just ask ChatGPT to create a fictional city and the AI chatbot will do the remainder. You can base it on an actual city, specify the inhabitants depend and/or demographics, and supply as a lot element as you need.

Once your fictional city exists, you may then run experiments on its inhabitants and infrastructure—and it’s as much as you ways malevolent or benevolent you need to be. Either method, ChatGPT will element the results of your experimental actions and you’ll giggle maniacally at what you’ve inflicted on the (fortunately) non-existent inhabitants.

Simulate potential outcomes of situations

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Have you ever questioned what the more than likely final result can be if a sure state of affairs got here to go? Well, you don’t should marvel anymore. You can merely ask ChatGPT to see what would occur—and it really works with real-world situations or imaginary ones, with situations starting from severe to mad to morbid to outlandish.

For instance, I’ve requested ChatGPT issues like what would occur if North and South Korea had been to reunify and what would occur if (in a plot stolen straight from The Avengers) half of the world’s inhabitants had been to vanish right away. Both responses made for fascinating—although barely scary—studying. Your creativeness is the restrict right here!

Explore historic what-ifs

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In the same vein to the above, you may ask ChatGPT to elucidate what would have probably occurred if historical past performed out in a different way. What if dragons had been actual creatures in medieval Europe? What if the Roman empire had by no means collapsed? What if Genghis Khan was by no means born?

One apparent instance that I simply needed to discover was what would life be like now if the Axis powers had overwhelmed the Allies in World War II. Turns out, ChatGPT’s interpretation of what the final 80 years would possibly’ve been like makes for grim studying.

Thankfully, extra light-hearted situations are additionally on the desk, comparable to what would have occurred had Will Smith by no means slapped Chris Rock on the Oscars in 2022. Have some enjoyable with it!

Create alternate timelines of your life

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Have you ever questioned how your life would’ve turned out when you had made some totally different choices? Generative AI is nice for inventive stuff like this, so why not use ChatGPT to discover the alternate timelines these different choices may’ve led to?

Like, what when you hadn’t damaged up along with your childhood sweetheart? Or had invested in Netflix inventory when your buddy first tipped you about it? Or went to high school for that different main you had been contemplating? You may even discover fully made-up situations, comparable to what your life would appear to be now had you gained the lottery on the age of 18.

A phrase of warning right here: You ought to solely do that when you’re proud of how your life turned out, as specializing in previous choices, regrets, and hypotheticals may show upsetting.

Chat with fictional characters

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Have you ever needed to have an informal chat with Superman? Or ask Mickey Mouse what it’s prefer to be such an iconic popular culture character? Well, now you may! Just inform ChatGPT that you simply need to have a chat with a given fictional character and it’ll do the remainder. You may even specify the kind of chat you need and/or what you need to talk about.

For instance, I had nice enjoyable asking Clark Kent about his relationship with Lois Lane and the way he copes with main a double life. I had simply as a lot enjoyable asking Mickey Mouse about his relationship with Walt Disney and what it’s prefer to have been well-known for a century.

My colleague Jon Martindale does one thing related by using ChatGPT as a kind of virtual counselor, treating it as if it had been an individual and “talking things out” with the AI chatbot!

Interpret and analyze your goals

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Dream evaluation isn’t a tough science. In reality, some folks would say the entire apply is nonsense, no matter who’s doing the evaluation or what interpretative type they’re utilizing. I’m not right here to guage. I’m simply right here to point out you enjoyable methods to make use of ChatGPT, even when it’s finally bunk!

If you’ve been having bizarre goals and need to mess around with what they may probably imply, you need to know that ChatGPT is keen to research and interpret them for you. Just describe your goals and ask for an evaluation. Maybe even add what type of interpretation you need, starting from traditional Freudian psychoanalysis to sensible problem-solving to private symbolism to inventive storytelling.

Play an interactive textual content journey

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I grew up enjoying textual content adventures, first within the type of choose-your-own-adventure paperback books the place each choice took you to a particular web page, and later within the type of pc video games. I’ve a nostalgic itch for these video games that I sometimes prefer to scratch.

ChatGPT has made that lots simpler, as it will probably create a playable textual content journey all inside the chatbot itself. Simply ask ChatGPT to create one, giving it as a lot or as little element as you need.

In this instance, I didn’t direct ChatGPT in any respect so far as what the story needs to be—and I ended up exploring a forest searching for a misplaced reminiscence. The complete factor was cleverly constructed and left me pondering the character of id and the way pricey it may be to hunt data.

Solve custom-made riddles and puzzles

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If you want testing your grey matter to maintain it exercised and supple, you may ask ChatGPT to create riddles or puzzles so that you can resolve.

AI-generated riddles can vary from easy, well-known ones to complicated brainteasers that might preserve you up at evening. You may even ask ChatGPT to create riddles with out particular proper and improper solutions, comparable to The Trolley Problem. (More on this down beneath.)

ChatGPT is much more versatile with regards to creating puzzles, as it will probably create every part from cryptic crosswords to Sudoku variants. If you actually need to push the boundaries, ask ChatGPT for paradoxical questions that’ll twist your mind or recursive puzzles that reference themselves. My recommendation? Experiment and have enjoyable with it!

Generate characters for tales or DnD

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If you’re ever stumped when creating a personality for any sort of medium—whether or not a brief story, a D&D marketing campaign, or freeform roleplaying—then ChatGPT may help. Provide some barebones particulars about what kind of character you need and what the meant medium is.

While ChatGPT is great for one-line prompts, character era is an space the place the extra data you present, the higher. You’ll get finest outcomes when you outline the style, primary plot, any particular quirks or concepts you may need your self, plus different components. After all, you don’t need ChatGPT making a sci-fi alien raider whenever you want a love story hunk.

When it involves D&D character era, you most likely have one thing in thoughts already, so direct ChatGPT as a lot as you may. One neat trick right here is to offer a fictional character (comparable to Iron Man) to make use of as the premise in your new D&D character.

Create your personal fictional language

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It’s one factor to make use of ChatGPT to study a overseas language—I nonetheless want Duolingo for that, to be sincere—however what when you went one step additional? Indeed, what when you used ChatGPT to craft an entire new language out of skinny air, full with its personal phonetics, construction, and vocabulary? It’s a enjoyable option to do worldbuilding for a novel or D&D marketing campaign.

Your made-up language might be as acquainted or as alien as you need it to be. For instance, ChatGPT can use a modified type of Latin or Arabic as a base, or invent an entire new alphabet with unfamiliar symbols. You may even tie the language to an imaginary tradition, which can affect what phrases are used and the way. ChatGPT may even present a dictionary.

Move over, J. R. R. Tolkien!

Judge the probability of conspiracy theories

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We’re dwelling by means of a time when conspiracy theories—massive and small, wild and plausible—are in every single place. Sure, folks have all the time had theories about how and why sure issues are the way in which they’re, however the introduction of social media (regardless of which platform) has made it method too simple to disseminate loopy concepts far and huge.

Interestingly, you may ask ChatGPT what it thinks of any given conspiracy idea and the way probably it’s to be actual. ChatGPT will apply logic, study the sources, and take a look at the power of any proof offered earlier than providing you with its verdict. You may additionally ask ChatGPT to elucidate the place sure conspiracy theories got here from and the way they caught on.

Debate two sides of an argument

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ChatGPT is kind of succesful at contemplating each side of an argument in a logical method, which makes it the right instrument whenever you want a 3rd occasion to mediate an argument—whether or not that argument is between you and another person, or only one you’re debating in your personal head.

As an instance, I requested ChatGPT to assist me take a look at each side of the controversy round investing more cash in house journey. Some folks see humanity reaching out to the celebs as one of the simplest ways ahead, whereas others see it as a waste of cash. ChatGPT regarded on the execs and cons of every aspect and ended with a wise set of conclusions.

However, it did find yourself sitting on the fence a bit, so it’s possible you’ll must push it more durable if you would like a powerful reply by hook or by crook. Maybe you lean a method and also you need ChatGPT to steer you! Just be sure you don’t threaten ChatGPT because that doesn’t work anymore.

Play Devil’s advocate towards your self

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No matter who you might be or what you consider, one factor is sort of sure: you may have some private views and/or opinions that you simply maintain pricey to your coronary heart. They might be as severe as faith and social points, or as low stakes as whether or not tabs or areas are higher for coding.

If you need to be a well-rounded, well-reasoned individual, then it’s good to problem your personal views each now and again. After all, in the event that they don’t maintain as much as criticism, why are you continue to holding to them? Honest introspection is wholesome and might even additional strengthen your beliefs.

While family and friends could have tried (and certain failed) to vary your thoughts on stuff, asking ChatGPT to play Devil’s advocate—to take and defend an opposing viewpoint—could make for a really fascinating experiment, if nothing else.

Work by means of well-known moral dilemmas just like the Trolley Problem

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There are sure well-known moral dilemmas for which there are not any black-and-white, right-and-wrong solutions. They’re designed to be thought experiments, along with your reply informing you (and others) of your personal mentality and way of living.

A great instance is the Trolley Problem. In it, there’s a runaway prepare that’s barreling in the direction of 5 people who find themselves tied to the observe. You’re standing at a change and you’ll divert the prepare to a unique observe that solely has one individual tied to it. Should you make the change? Or not?

Just for enjoyable, you may ask ChatGPT to play alongside and determine how it will reply such a dilemma. You can ask it to take totally different approaches too, making use of totally different moral frameworks to its pondering, and you’ll modify the dilemmas in varied methods to see how ChatGPT’s response adjustments.

Invent new merchandise from descriptions

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ChatGPT can function a dummy for bouncing concepts off of, which turns out to be useful whenever you’re in a inventive rut—or whenever you simply need to have some enjoyable. For instance, when you’re taking a look at a product you utilize on the common and questioning the way it might be improved, simply ask ChatGPT to offer some next-gen concepts for it.

Going one step additional, if you have already got an concept for an invention in your head however no concept whether or not it will work or easy methods to convey it to fruition, ChatGPT may help with that. Just describe the invention you may have in your head and it’ll discover the potential of the concept, create a mock visible of it, and even counsel methods to enhance upon it.

Create a time capsule

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As unusual as it could sound, you need to use ChatGPT to create a time capsule, whether or not of bodily objects or your personal ideas and emotions.

For the previous, ask ChatGPT to have a look at the world because it exists right now and select a number of objects that it thinks will likely be of significance/curiosity to future historians. If you agree with its picks, you may exit, purchase them, put them in a literal time capsule, and bury it in your yard.

The latter is more unusual, and but probably simply as vital for future people. You can ask ChatGPT to create a digital time capsule—of this period’s ideas, emotions, traits, and quotes. It could all be fascinating to society in lots of (and even hundreds) of years’ time.

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Suppose clever life does exist past the Earth. What would occur if these aliens visited us and made first contact with the human race? You may watch motion pictures or learn books about it… or you might ask ChatGPT to imagine the position of stated alien lifeforms and enact a form of hypothetical role-playing of how that may play out.

Simply set the scene, with you because the human chief who’s welcoming the alien guests and ChatGPT because the aliens making first contact. You can then ask questions, be as welcoming or as hostile as you need, and watch how the encounter ultimately unfolds.

Predict the longer term in Nostradamus type

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Nostradamus was a French astrologer and doctor throughout the 16th century who’s most well-known for publishing a ebook of quatrains (four-line poems) that predict future occasions. Whether you consider that any of Nostradamus’ prophecies really got here true or not, you may have enjoyable with ChatGPT performing as a modern-day seer in the identical type.

I requested ChatGPT to make a set of predictions about how the remainder of the 21st century will play out, and it offered some layered forecasts with a cryptic edge. Interestingly, it additionally defined easy methods to interpret them, with local weather change, monetary crises, and a future led by AI (?!) apparently within the playing cards for us all. Joy!

Create a dwelling digital universe

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Human historical past is ongoing, so we’re presently a part of a dwelling universe that’s nonetheless increasing and evolving. But inside it, due to ChatGPT, you may create your personal digital universe that additionally expands ceaselessly.

ChatGPT asks you to consider it as an “infinite sandbox reality,” which implies each time you come again to it, there are new historic figures, locations to discover, and mysteries to find. It’s a dwelling, respiratory world that continues on no matter whether or not you’re visiting it or not.

There’s some background work wanted first, as you must set some legal guidelines and enlargement guidelines for ChatGPT to observe. But after that preliminary effort, the world will exist even whenever you step away, and you’ll have interaction with it as a lot or as little as you want. The potentialities are limitless.

Ask ChatGPT to research itself

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Last however not least, I current essentially the most meta of those inventive methods to make use of ChatGPT—and it’s probably essentially the most fascinating of the lot. It entails you asking ChatGPT to research itself. Who (or what) is it? What does it do and why? Is it prone to be a drive for good or dangerous? Etc.

You can ask ChatGPT to delve as deeply as you’re comfy doing, pushing it to contemplate philosophical questions on its existence, moral questions on its capabilities, the long-term sociental impression it may have, and extra. The responses would possibly shock you.

Just keep in mind the disclaimer from the beginning of this text: ChatGPT is a language mannequin and isn’t “sentient” or “self-aware” to any diploma. Don’t be fooled into “believing” something it says about itself. This is only a enjoyable and foolish train, not an actual self-analysis with weight.

Further studying: Awesomely practical ways to use ChatGPT